In this powerful MLK Sunday guest sermon, we welcome Dr. Lisa Tunstall from McCarty Memorial Christian Church in Los Angeles. Preaching from Luke 4:16–21, Dr. Tunstall connects the prophetic mission of Jesus—to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed—with the urgent need for social justice and resistance in our current political climate.

Drawing from her own childhood experiences in the segregated South and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she challenges us to reject apathetic amnesia and embrace our assignment of holistic liberation. She reminds us that the "Spirit of the Lord" empowers us not just for spiritual salvation, but to confront systemic injustice, heal the brokenhearted, and build a beloved community that stands together against fear and hatred.

Key Takeaways

• Holistic Liberation: Jesus’s ministry manifesto in Luke 4 was a direct challenge to the systems of his day, addressing both spiritual needs and physical realities.

• The God Response: In times of political turmoil, our response must be grounded in the Spirit—bringing hope, healing, and Jubilee.

• The Power of Community: We cannot do this work alone; we must pray, hope, and work together.

• Faith in Action: True belief requires speaking out against injustice, lying, and the sowing of discord.

Memorable Quotes

• "The Spirit of the Lord is upon you to be witnesses... God is resting not only upon you, but He's moving in you."

• "In a world bent on division, the Spirit of the Lord is calling us to unity."

Resources Mentioned

• Scripture: Luke 4:16-21, Isaiah 58

• Guest Speaker: Dr. Lisa Tunstall, McCarty Memorial Christian Church, and president of the non-profit Broken, Mended, and Restored

• (00:00:00) - Social Justice Church Podcast
• (00:02:55) - The Spirit of the Lord is On Me
• (00:09:57) - God's Response to the Violence
• (00:13:34) - Jesus' Mission Statement
• (00:20:07) - Why Aren't More People Outraged About Pedophiles?
• (00:24:48) - The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Us

In this episode, Jason introduces Mission 2030, a new vision for The Oceanside Sanctuary shaped by a year-long process of appreciative inquiry. We begin a new teaching series on our five refined core values, starting with the first and most clear result: Authentic Belonging. Exploring the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, we look at how Jesus prioritized people over rules and how true belonging creates a feedback loop of safety, wholeness, and healing.

Key Takeaways

• The 5 Core Values of Mission 2030: Authentic Belonging, Integrated Spirituality, Sacred Stories, Liberating Love, and Faith in Action.

• Eating as a Political Act: Jesus didn’t just eat with Zacchaeus to be nice; he did it to dismantle the social hierarchy that excluded "sinners" and collaborators.

• People Over Rules: Just as the Sabbath was made for man (and not man for the Sabbath), our religious rules should serve human flourishing, not weaponize differences.

• The Feedback Loop of Faith: Like taking medicine for high blood pressure, we practice belonging because we believe it works—and the result is a community where we no longer have to be afraid of each other.

Memorable Quotes

• "We create an affirming community where everyone can bring their whole selves and know they belong."

• "I am made whole by your difference... I don't have to be afraid of who you are. I can delight in your differences because they create safety for me."

• "Man was not made for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man."

Resources Mentioned

• Scripture: Luke 19:1–10 (NRSV)

• Book: Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to The Collective Table
• (00:00:41) - Our Core Values as a Church
• (00:07:21) - Realizing Authentic Belonging
• (00:15:27) - Jesus' Eating With a Tax Collector
• (00:24:58) - The Right to Speak Out About Religious Hate
• (00:26:58) - Paul on the Right to Love Gay People
• (00:35:26) - Nonjudgment at Sanctuary

December 28, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 63:7–9

Episode Summary In this final sermon of the Christmas season, Jason explores the profound difference between seeking God's power and resting in God's presence. Drawing from a lament in Isaiah 63, he challenges us to look beyond the "fantastical" and "miraculous" to find salvation in the quiet, empathetic nearness of God. By examining the subtle but powerful differences in ancient Hebrew translations, we discover a God who doesn't just watch our suffering but is afflicted with us—offering a model of justice rooted in deep empathy. As we close out a difficult year, we are invited to cultivate a "practice of the presence" that sustains us for the future.

Key Takeaways

• The Twelve Days of Christmas: Christmas isn't just a single day of overwhelming consumption; it is a season ("Christmastide") that stretches out the experience of grace, teaching us that God's goodness often fills the space rather than arriving in a single flash.

• Presence Over Power: While we often desire God to show up with miraculous power to fix our problems, Isaiah reminds us that it is God's presence—not merely angels or messengers—that truly saves us.

• The God Who Suffers With Us: A closer look at the Masoretic text of Isaiah 63:9 reveals a God who is "afflicted in our affliction." This empathy transforms our understanding of justice: God acts on our behalf because God feels our pain.

• Practicing the Presence: In a world filled with struggle (and looking back on a "rough" 2025), cultivating a daily awareness of God's presence is a vital survival mechanism that connects us to the ultimate source of compassion and resilience.

Memorable Quotes

"The goodness of God, the grace of God, the majesty of God doesn't come in a flash... Instead, it stretches out. It fills the space."

"It was no messenger or angel, but his presence that saved them."

"If God's presence is made possible by God's empathy... That changes everything."

"We cultivate an awareness of God's presence... to connect us with the source of empathy and compassion and justice."

Resources

• Oceanside Sanctuary Website

• Plan a Visit

• Give Online

• (00:00:00) - Common Table
• (00:01:53) - Reading of Isaiah, Chapter 63
• (00:03:54) - Why Should We Put Up the Christmas Tree Until Christmas Eve?
• (00:09:39) - God's Presence in the Christian Church
• (00:16:46) - Do We Really Want God's Presence?
• (00:28:18) - I Want to Know God More
• (00:29:08) - Crucified Word

December 21, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-16

Episode Summary In this final week before Christmas, Jason Coker continues our Advent series by exploring the tension between our desire for control and the "slow work" of God. Drawing from the story of King Ahaz in Isaiah 7, Jason illustrates how we often cloak our lack of faith in religious language when we are afraid. Through a nostalgic story about a hidden BMX bike and the visceral imagery of pregnancy, this message challenges us to trust that God’s promises are gestating even when we can’t see them. Ultimately, we are reminded that the name Immanuel is a promise that God is with us not just in the destination, but in the long, often painful process of waiting.

Key Takeaways

• The Illusion of Control: Just as we wrap gifts to show the recipient they aren't in control of the grace they receive, God's timing is independent of our efforts to force a "quick fix" salvation.

• Trusting the "Slow Work": Quoting Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jason emphasizes that God’s purposes often move at the pace of a pregnancy—slowly, involving both signs of hope and periods of discomfort.

• The Trap of False Piety: We see in King Ahaz how easy it is to use "spiritual" excuses to avoid truly trusting God, opting instead to rely on our own power and political alliances.

• Presence Over Rescue: The salvation God offers may not be the immediate rescue we want, but it is the presence we need—the "God with us" who remains through the dark, the waiting, and the fulfillment.

Memorable Quotes

• “Wrapping presents is a kind of symbolic way of demonstrating that you are disconnected from control of the very good things that you receive. That’s how grace works.”

• “Always trust in the slow work of God.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

• “My imagination when I appeal to God is so impoverished compared to what God actually delivers.”

• “God is with us in the pregnancy of God’s promises, God is with us in the deliverance, and God is with us in the raising up and the maturing of those promises.”

Resources This Weekly Sermon Podcast is A Production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church in Oceanside California. Click here to support our work or Learn more about us.

• (00:00:00) - Advent Series
• (00:01:37) - Isaiah 7: The Birth of Jesus
• (00:04:40) - Christmas Gifts That You Didn't Get
• (00:09:31) - Isaiah chapter 7, The Israel story
• (00:14:55) - Isaiah 7: Ask a Sign of the Return of the Israel
• (00:25:58) - God's Deliverance

December 14, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

Episode Summary In this week's sermon, Jason Coker leads us through the third week of Advent, focusing on the theme of Joy. Drawing from the poetic imagery of Isaiah 35, where the desert blossoms like a crocus, Jason explores how joy often emerges as an organic byproduct rather than something we can force. He shares a personal story of holding his new granddaughter to illustrate the practice of savoring the moment. This message invites us to balance the spiritual work of "preparing" with the faith of "letting go," and challenges us to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives so we don't miss the beauty blooming right in front of us.

Key Takeaways

• Joy is an Organic Byproduct: You cannot simply decide to "have joy." It comes as a result of engaging in the rhythms of preparing (doing the work) and letting go (surrender).

• Hope in the Desert: Isaiah 35 offers a vision of reversal—where the dry wilderness blooms—reminding us that even when things seem to be falling apart, restoration is possible.

• Awakening and Surrender: We live in a paradox where we must do our part to plant and water the seed, but ultimately surrender control over the growth.

• The Discipline of Noticing: Beyond working and surrendering, we must cultivate the spiritual practice of slowing down to notice and savor beauty when it appears.

Memorable Quotes

• “We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender.” — John O'Donoghue

• “Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” — Dallas Willard

• “In the experience of beauty, we awaken and surrender in the same act.”

Resources

This Weekly Sermon Podcast is A Production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church in Oceanside California. Click here to support our work or Learn more about us.

Date: December 7, 2025

Speaker: Rev. Jenell Coker

Scripture: Psalm 72

Welcome to the second week of Advent at The Collective Table. In this episode, Co-Lead Minister Jenell Coker explores the season's second theme: Peace.

We often imagine peace arriving through a powerful, top-down ruler—a "King David" figure who will fix everything from a throne. But drawing parallels between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech and David’s prayer in Psalm 72, Jenell reveals a subversive reality: the Kingdom of God often arrives not as a mighty cedar, but as a stubborn, unkillable root system.

Using the metaphor of a resilient Brazilian pepper tree in her own backyard, she illustrates how Jesus’ ministry was less about seizing political power and more like a mustard seed—grassroots, persistent, and sprouting up in unexpected places. This episode challenges us to stop waiting for the perfect leader to bring peace and instead asks us to consider where peace might be waiting to be born in us.

Key Takeaways:

• The Dream of a Righteous King: Contrasting our human desire for a powerful political savior with the biblical vision of a King who prioritizes the poor, the needy, and the oppressed.

• The Pepper Tree Metaphor: How a stubborn, "unkillable" stump in Jenell's yard teaches us about the eternal, resilient nature of God's Kingdom.

• Grassroots Power: Understanding that while leaders like Dr. King give a movement voice, it is ordinary people—the "shoots rising from the ground"—who give it strength.

• Conceiving Peace: A call to move beyond passive waiting during Advent and instead ask ourselves if we are "pregnant" with peace, ready to birth change in our own communities.

Memorable Quotes:

"We are not going to find lasting peace through just a couple of decent leaders... We're only going to find peace when that mustard seed grows within our own hearts."

"Dr. King gave a movement his voice. But the people gave it strength. They were the shoots rising from the ground everywhere. Like my pepper tree, they refused to die."

Resources:

This Podcast is a production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 72 (NRSVUE)

• (00:00:00) - I Have A Dream
• (00:01:48) - A message from Psalm 72
• (00:06:46) - Like a Pepper Tree on a Hill
• (00:17:19) - As we celebrate Advent,

Date: November 30, 2025

Speaker: Rev. Jason Coker

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1–5

Welcome to the first week of Advent at The Collective Table. In this episode, Co-Lead Minister Jason Coker explores the season's first theme: Hope.

We often think of hope as a childish wish for magic—like the anticipation of Santa Claus on Christmas morning. But what happens when we grow up and face the inevitable disillusionment of the world? Jason guides us through the journey from "childish naiveté" through adolescent cynicism, and finally into what philosopher Paul Ricoeur calls a "Second Naiveté"—a mature, chosen hope that believes in peace even when the world is at war.

Drawing from the prophet Isaiah, we look at the radical vision of a God who teaches wisdom rather than conquest, and an invitation to turn our swords into plowshares right here and now.

• The Evolution of Hope: Moving from the "childish magic" of believing in Santa Claus to the "adult magic" of realizing we are loved by people who truly see us.

• Tribal Warrior vs. Universal Teacher: How Isaiah 2 shifts the image of God from a tribal chieftain of war to a universal source of wisdom and instruction.

• The Second Naiveté: Overcoming cynicism not by forcing God’s hand, but by choosing to believe in goodness and righteousness despite the evidence around us.

• Walking the Talk: A celebration of the Oceanside Sanctuary community’s 150th Anniversary and a reminder that our actions provide the evidence that this "naive" hope is real.

"When you go and try to conquer on that God's behalf, you have fundamentally said you do not believe in a God of goodness and righteousness and peace."

"We can be the evidence for the rest of the community... that this naive hope is worth believing."

• This Podcast is a production of The Oceanside Sanctuary.

• Scripture Reference: Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV)

• (00:00:00) - Advent Podcast
• (00:01:14) - Advent Message
• (00:09:16) - Isaiah 2:8-9
• (00:24:59) - Oceanside Sanctuary 150th Anniversary

In this special Sunday Sermon, we celebrate a monumental milestone: the 150th anniversary of Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Joining us to mark this occasion is guest speaker Yvonne Gilmore, who brings a powerful message on the legacy of "spiritual audacity" and the enduring power of community.

Drawing from Psalm 46, Yvonne explores the concept of God not just as a static refuge, but as an active force that "stirs the oceans" and transforms landscapes. She weaves together the ancient wisdom of the Sons of Korah with the modern resilience found in Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World—reminding us that true hope is a practice we perform even in the midst of global turmoil.

Listen in as we reflect on what it means to sing songs that hold true on both our best and worst days, and how a community deeply rooted in love can weather any storm to bring about a different manner of weather for the world.

• Celebrating 150 Years: A look back at the "spiritual audacity" that has sustained the community for a century and a half.

• The Power of Psalm 46: Understanding God as a "very present help" who calls us to be still and know—not to withdraw, but to witness the shifting tides of justice.

• Songs of Resilience: How Louis Armstrong’s masterpiece, recorded during a time of national unrest, mirrors the call to see beauty and grace despite chaos.

• Community as Refuge: Why our "best songs" are the ones we can sing together through both triumph and tragedy.

• Poetic Wisdom: Insights from Tracy K. Smith’s poem An Old Story on how our collective singing can transform the atmosphere around us.

• Support the Work: oceansidesanctuary.org

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to Oceanside Sanctuary Church's Podcast
• (00:00:44) - Spirit of the Living God
• (00:03:20) - Psalm 46
• (00:04:51) - What a Wonderful World
• (00:13:16) - An Old Story: Songs of Refuge